The second edition of Beats & Culture’s exclusive 7” series is all about transparent orange. That’s the color of the vinyl, and the music itself has a warm glow, almost like an African sunset. This is the sound of exotic mixtures, afrobeat and Latin styles intertwining; dubby vibes mingling with funk, and even evidence of a Turkish influ- ence. The two sides of this 7” travel far and wide. Los Angeles combo Jungle Fire — a Gilles Peterson favorite — deliver “Snake Pit (Stove Mix)” on the A-side, intro’ing with an introspective dub feel, as plaintive horns and a tuneful flute carry the melody. The song explores Latin elements as the percussion gets intricate and the guitars get twangy. This one grooves and moves in a deliberate manner. Veteran Athens-based producer Palov (Cast-a-Blast, Palov & Mishkin) is on the flip side, collaborating with his friend Angelos Angelides on the evocative “Lokums and Matches.” It’s a boom-bap flavored funk track that features exquisite guitar played in Turkish-afro style. It’s truly original sound, tailor-made for global b-boys to strut their stu on the magic carpet. On numara!

credits

releases December 2, 2018

''Snake Pit (Stove Mix)'' Produced by Jungle Fire. Exclusive mix for Melting Records. Original mix was released on the LP ''Tropicoso'' by Nacional Records. Under license from & copyright to Jungle Fire. junglefiremusic.com

''Lokums and Matches'' Produced by Palov & A.Angelides. Originally released on the LP ''He Mucho Por Ti''. Under license from & copyright to Spang Recordings. spangrecordings.bandcamp.com